Arch supports will ultimately change the body’s posture when placed in shoes because it changes the position of the arch of the foot. When arch supports such as Instant Arches are placed in your shoes, it will contour the arch of the foot and prevent soft tissue compression by stopping the arch from collapsing to the floor in a shoe. Its function is to improve the quality of one’s life during their daily activities such as work, play or exercising.
“Bad foot genes” are the reasons why foot problems occur. Yes, “Blame it on Mom and Dad.” Arch supports can counteract the predisposition of developing foot problems. They reduce the triggering mechanism to foot pain, bunion pain, joint pain, heel spur pain and arch pain when wearing in fashion footwear. Arch supports also will prevent abnormal foot pronation, arch cramps, and muscle spasms in the foot from occurring because they support as well as stabilize the joints in the mid-foot (mid-tarsal joint) and hind foot (subtalar joint) from collapsing. Flat feet are a byproduct of the arch collapsing and when the foot hits the ground everything changes. This collapsing is known as abnormal pronation, a three plane motion that causes the flattening of the foot to the ground. A flat foot is a congenital foot deformity and is present at birth. Instant Arches are arch supports can help prevent foot problems in children and adults by slowing down abnormal pronation.
No matter what type of foot problem you may have, when you place arch supports in your running, tennis, open or closed shoe styles, sandals or high heels your foot will automatically become more supported, comfortable and improve the wear pattern of your shoes.
All shoes will eventually break down and force you to take them to the shoe repair shop. The most common shoe repair on a shoe is the heel counter, secondly is the sole of the shoe. Normally, when shoes wear down it is at the outside aspect of the heel; the heel wares down because the instability of the joints in the foot and muscle imbalances in the arch of the foot. During the walking cycle your foot when wearing shoes hits the ground in an inverted position and then proceeds to collapse towards the ground. When the shoe hits the ground your shoe flattens out and the wear pattern travels towards the sole, then to the ball of the foot and eventually out under the great toe. The degree of collapsing that occurs as the shoe approaches the ground will wear down the outside edge, sole and toe area of the shoe due to rough walking or exercises surfaces such as pavement, asphalt or tile floors.
Without the proper arch support in your shoes, regardless of style, there is a greater tendency for the outer sole of the shoe to wear out. This could lead to soft tissue injuries in the foot from repetitive overuse of wearing unsupportive worn out shoes.
Editor’s note: Instant Arches are available at Shoes.com and FootSmart.